English

All children participate in a structured programme using the National Curriculum which is designed to develop all aspects of the English language. Writing, spelling and grammatical conventions are all taught alongside the skills of reading. Creative and other forms of writing are taught in a dynamic and stimulating way.

Spelling is taught over 4 sessions per week through the Read Write Inc Spelling programme and is at a level appropriate to the development of the child. Foundation Stage and KS1 pupils are taught a Read Write Inc Phonics sessions (4 per week) to develop their phonic and reading skills.

Reading:

It is our aim at Lacey Green to encourage all our children to become confident, enthusiastic readers. We encourage our children to read and to enjoy looking at a variety of fiction and non-fiction books, and to take their books home to share with their parents as this supports their reading progress in school. Children in KS2 are expected to read for 20 minutes per day. They receive regular reading assignments, through focused questions, which are targeted to develop their reading and comprehension skills. An appreciation of literature is achieved by introducing children to a wide range of authors and through teachers reading expressively to the children.

National School Book Week is celebrated annually in March, where both children and staff dress up as book characters and the children work on book and reading activities in their respective School houses. Regular Book Fairs are organised in school.

Speaking and Listening

Speaking and Listening skills are equally important and many opportunities are made for children to express themselves effectively and to listen appropriately. We create numerous opportunities for discussion work in a variety of group situations and give opportunities of expression through drama and presentational speaking.

Drama provides an ideal opportunity for children to engage in role-play and to learn about empathy. The children enjoy a wide variety of dramatic activities through the Curriculum and school productions. Theatre trips and visits to school from theatre companies are regularly arranged.

English is taught through all Key Stages for an hour each day, and is taught in a cross-curricular manner where appropriate. A wide variety of good quality literature is used to deliver the curriculum. Interweaved into this a rich learning experience are bespoke grammar and reading comprehension lessons.

WOW Writing

At Lacey Green, developing the pupils' writing skills is a key focus in all English lessons. Children are required to write for a purpose across a wide range of genres, which encompass the full range of writing skills from report to poetry writing.

A major part of our writing focus is WOW WRITING which is developed around 'The Big Write' by Ros Wilson. The children enhance their knowledge of the key elements of technical writing namely using VCOP : V=Vocabulary, C = Conjuntion, O= Opener and P = Punctuation. Every Friday, the whole school has a Wow Writing lesson which incorporates focused teaching and modeling of key skills through a range of activities including some games. These lead to an independent writing session where children are asked to apply the skills they have been practising. The following week the children edit and improve aspects of their writing from the previous week (up-levelling). Through a series of colour codes, children are able to improve aspects of their work such as vocabulary, grammar, spelling and punctuation. This is achieved independently or with peer support. We believed that this approach to self-editing and improvement has a huge impact on children's progress in writing, as they are actively engaged throughout the writing process.

Use of IT. within Literacy

IT is used integrally to support and enhance the teaching and learning within English in various different ways – through the use of the internet, Interactive Digital texts, Desk Top Publishing and a wide variety of applications to support the writing process.